Prior To Wood Warm-Up?

Yes, as predicted yesterday, the Marlins beat the Cubs in the opening game of the series because, frankly, with Mark Prior and Kerry Wood up next to face the Marlins, if they hadn't won this morning, they might never have won a game in the series...

Still, culminating with one homer after another, the opening match of the series will probably be the headiest offensive assault we'll see:

NLCS Records Set:

7 homeruns in one game.

4 triples in one game.

3 homeruns in one inning by one team (Marlins, in the third)

17 extra base hits in one game.

Wonder how many fans were whining about a corked bat when Sammy Sosa nailed that game-tying homerun in the bottom of the 9th...

Yankees-Red Sox

We can point out a few obvious items to begin with: The Boston Red Sox, regardless of the claims of their fans, did not "win" their series against the Oakland A's so much as the Oakland A's lost it. The Red Sox Nation should think about that when pondering their signs of grandeur and destiny.

Is it really that big a deal that the Yankees rotation didn't give up 20 runs in four games again like they did last season getting knocked out by the Anaheim Angels? It's a little early to start congratulating yourself for not failing when you allege to have the best starting rotation in all of baseball, isn't it?

That said, Sports Amnesia remembers that the ALCS will play out thusly:

The Red Sox will take Game One in Yankee Stadium, adding fuel to the fire of the imagination of the Red Sox Nation.

They will then nip Andy Pettitte behind super-hero Derek Lowe to take a 2-0 lead in the series with the next 3 games in Fenway sending the Red Sox Nation into a feeding-frenzy of anticipation but then...

Game Three will be Roger Clemens' swan song, his final pitching performance in Fenway Park and he will be facing none other than Pedro Martinez who may or may not come down with the flu. Let's face it, Pedro hasn't been Mr. Clutch all season and the Yankees will win after he peters out in the 7th leaving the Sox bullpen to blow the game.

David Wells will then lead the Yankees to tie the series at two apiece swinging the hysterical ladder of momentum in the opposite direction.

Yankees win another to make it three to two and to keep the visiting team's perfect record of away victories intact.

Lowe will do it again for the Sox in Game Six in Yankee Stadium and then:

Game Seven will rematch Clemens against Pedro and I'll tell you, if it gets that far, I'll give my prediction on the day before because by then, I'll have to keep a close eye on Pedro's flu-like symptoms.

Vital England Match in Peril?

Threatening to throw a monkey wrench in an already highly anticipated match,the England football squad last night voted unanimously to strike unless Rio Ferdinand was reinstated to the squad.

The players said that they would not travel to Turkey for Saturday’s vital European Championship qualification match unless Ferdinand, who was dropped from the team for failing to take a random drugs test, was given his place back.

If they DO strike, guess I'll just have to forget my plans of spending the afternoon getting faced in the Queen's Head and watch Ireland trounce Romania in the World Cup of Rugby instead.

Quite A Drop-Off In Talent

ESPN, who will never let it go, reports that Phil Jackson, the Lakers coach and Michael Jordan's former coach in Chicago, intimated in a published report that he has reluctantly considered a scenario in which Jordan would play for him if Kobe Bryant is unable to.

Somehow, the 40 year old thrice-retired Jordan hardly seems an equal replacement for Kobe. After all, this isn't 1998 anymore.